Each year, Cambridge welcomes many families into our community who are relocating to Cambridge for work or graduate school, or who are immigrating to the U.S. We recognize the special challenges involved in relocating your family from a long distance away and will work with you to make the experience as easy and understandable as possible.

The requirements for registering your child are the same as for any other student. You must provide documentation of your Cambridge address, and you must complete the registration process in person at the Student Registration Center before your child can start school. If you are registering your child to enter during the current school year, we can make a school assignment soon after you arrive in Cambridge and complete the registration process at our office.

For junior kindergarten/kindergarten and Grades 1-8, registrations that are received shortly before or during the school year are processed and assigned on a first come, first served basis. Parents may still choose to list three school choices in order to have their child placed on the waiting list for one or more schools. Between September and June, applications for immediate enrollment are processed on a daily basis, and students can usually begin attending school within 2-5 days of their registration being completed.

To reduce the barriers for families who in the process of relocating for the next school year, we will work with you to ensure a smooth transition for your family. Please keep in mind:

You may submit a purchase & sales agreement or signed lease to establish your residency, in advance of moving to Cambridge. However, your child cannot start school until your move is complete. Families who do not have a copy of a signed lease but have been granted University housing may submit a letter from your University stating that they have secured your housing. The letter must indicate your Cambridge address and the dates of your lease/housing agreement.

Families who are relocating from outside of the state of Massachusetts or Internationally for the next school year may submit their required supporting documents via email, or fax to establish your application date. However, we must examine the originals of these documents in order to verify the validity of your registration. As with all families who register, you must complete the registration in process by bringing these documents to the Student Registration Center once you have arrived in Cambridge.

To establish your residency, you provide a utility bill (gas, oil, electricity) or documentation that utilities are included with your housing. You may do this by asking your University to specify that utilities are included as part of University housing, or by obtaining a letter from a utility company stating that you will be a subscriber and listing the date when your utilities will be turned on.

If you are registering your child for junior kindergarten or kindergarten starting in the fall, their school assignment will be able to proceed as soon as we receive your completed registration materials. Students entering grades 1-8 in the next school year will receive their school assignments at the end of the summer, to allow us to accurately assess the number of openings at each school.

While there may be advantages in submitting your child’s registration in advance, particularly if you will be moving several months before the school year begins, many families wait to register until they arrive in the United States. Whenever you are ready, we are glad to answer any questions and assist you in completing the registration process.